The last question posted was: How many calories are in a pound of body weight? Answer: 3500.

Let's look at that number for a moment. To gain a pound of weight, someone must eat 3500 more calories than they burn, and to lose a pound, they must burn 3500 more than they eat. It is simple math.

But these are just numbers--how does that look in everyday life? Let's talk about losing weight, a BIG issue among kids your age:

The easiest way to lose weight is to cut out "drink calories"--i.e, soda, juice, Gatorade, etc.

For example, if I drank water every day instead of a can of Coke (220 calories), in 2 weeks I'd lose a pound. In a year, I'd shed about 20 pounds! I'm not making a HUGE change; I'm just substituting something healthy for something unhealthy. Little changes like that can make all the difference.

Here are few other simple choices:

1. Drink a glass of water before each meal.

2. At every meal, eat a piece of fruit or handful of veggies. The cafeteria does a great job of providing healthy food--take advantage of it!

3. When you sit down to dinner, eat veggies and meat first, wait about 5 minutes (a great chance to TALK to your family!), then eat your carbs (bread, rice, potatoes, etc.).

Happy eating!

In your comment, share your opinion of which of the following breakfasts YOU think is healthier, and why:

1. A whole wheat bagel with cream cheese

2. A cup of regular yogurt mixed with sliced bananas and raisins

'Tis the Season

In my last entry, I talked about the holiday season and all the food that comes with it.

This entry is about the "C" word--not Christmas, Cookie Monster, or Curlup, but "Calorie".

Why talk about calories? Because people gain more weight during the holidays (2 months) than they do the rest of the year (10 months)!

Body weight is all about calories, keeping a balance between how much you burn and how much you eat. It's simple math, really. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you burn more than you eat, you lose weight.

A calorie is a unit of energy. Food contains energy, so the more energy in a food, the more calories it has. Here are a couple of examples:

1) A medium banana = 100 calories.

2) A can of Coke = 200 calories.

3) A cheese stick = 100 calories.

The trick is to eat foods that fill you up without laying on the calories: ones with water in them (fruits and vegetables) or ones with protein (lean meat, cheese, nuts, eggs). Not only do those kinds of foods have more nutrients and vitamins, they will keep you fit and trim.

In the example above, you could have either #2, the can of Coke (200 calories), or #1 AND #3, the banana and cheese stick (also 200 calories). Which is better? The banana/cheese combo. It's the same amount of calories, but is more filling, better for you, and will help you maintain healthy weight. So, go out and THINK about what you eat. There are healthy choices all around. You just have to look for them.

Last post's answer: Kwanzaa was begun in 1966.

New question: how many calories are in a pound of body fat? I'll have the answer next time. . .

Now that Halloween is past, we have entered my FAVORITE time of the year--the holiday season!

Unfortunately, with all the holidays--Halloween. . .Thanksgiving. . Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa. . .New Year's--there is also plenty of candy, sweets and food, which CAN mean extra pounds if you aren't careful. In fact, people often gain more weight during "the holidays" than they do the rest of the year.

So, what can you do to make sure you enjoy the season, but don't look like Santa when you're done? Here are some ideas:

1. Be physically active. ANY kind of movement counts, even walking the dog, sweeping, and taking out the trash. Of course, more intense activity will help burn off that extra piece of candy, but as long as you move, you can't go wrong!

2. Enjoy the sweets, but take it easy. Don't make an entire meal of M&Ms or Snickers. Have one (or two) a day and continue to eat healthy (more on that in another blog!).

3. Drink lots of water. It's cheap, has no calories, and fills you up so you won't be tempted to snack.

Over the next few weeks, until the New Year, I'll be sharing some other ideas on how to get or keep your body fit and trim. Stay tuned!

Here's a question. See if you know the answer: What year did people begin to celebrate Kwanzaa? Post your answer!

When you think of a football player, what images come to your mind?

Some people think football does NOT require a whole lot of smarts--that football players are big, slow, "dumb jocks" who would rather hit someone hard than hit the books. They think that because they have a lot of brawn, they don't have much of a brain.

I want to introduce you to a local athlete who is NOT your normal football player. His name is Marquel Carter, and he is the quarterback for the Culver City High School football team. Last season, he scored 30 touchdowns in just 12 games, but what makes him stand out in a crowd is the head inside the helmet:

*He won a sports essay contest at his school last year (topic: "I have a dream. . .")

*He has tried fencing, snorkeling, lacrosse and taiko drumming.

*When he had to choose a second language to study in high school, he figured he could always learn Spanish (since he lives in LA, where there is a large hispanic population), so he chose Japanese instead, a much harder language to master. In fact, he wants to learn more than 7 languages in his lifetime, so he can speak more than Kobe Bryant!

*He is considering going to Harvard or Stanford.

*Finally, in case you thought he was a one-sport wonder, he also plays for his school's basketball team, and runs 3 events for the track team.

No wonder his coach calls him "A remarkable young man. . . a breath of fresh air."

Why am I telling you all this? Because people will try to label you because of your gender, race, skin color, size, ethnicity or religion. They will tell you that you CAN'T do certain things because of who you are. But don't believe them! Marquel lives that way. So should you!

You've probably heard alot about the "swine flu" lately, but since it DOESN'T come from pigs, pig farmers prefer we call it "H1N1." So, let's talk about the flu with the numbers and letters--H1N1.

There are many kinds of flu, and each year a new version circulates around. What makes this one so dangerous is it's strength, and POTENTIAL to morph into a new virus in the middle of the season. When that happens, the flu shot you got would be no good. It's kind of like when a new version of software comes out and the old one you have no longer works.

So, this is a good time to remind ourselves of the basic ways to reduce your risk of getting this NASTY bug:

1. Wash your hands regularly, at recess, lunch, after PE, and whenever you touch objects that are shared in the classroom. Our hands touch MANY things, and when we then touch our face (the place flu viruses love to enter), we are vulnerable to the virus. So, wash your hands! How long should you wash? Scrub HARD and sing the "Happy Birthday" song slowly. Seriously. . .

2. Get rest. Your body can defend itself better when it is rested. If you are tired, you are more likely to get sick.

3. Eat and drink well. Just like rest, a good diet keeps your immune system strong.

The H1N1 is here, so protect yourself! Happy, healthy living to you all!

Thanks to all of you who submitted answers to last week's question ("Water" is called "agua," "jur" and "mizu" in three other langauges. What are they?)

Correct answer: Spanish, Armenian, Japanese. My apologies for possibly misspelling the Armenian version! It should be "joor."

I mentioned last time the importance of water. Notice that I DIDN'T say to drink soda, juice or energy drinks. Why? Water has no calories, while the other drinks add unneeded calories, and calories can add up quickly into pounds.

Here's a simple example: one can of regular Coke has over 200 calories, while the same amount of water has 0 calories. If you drank water instead of one can of Coke every day for two weeks, you would lose 1 pound. That doesn't sound like much, but if you did that for one year, you would lose over 20 pounds!! All by changing just one thing: drinking water instead of soda.

So think about it. Do you really need high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring, artificial flavoring, carbonation and phosphoric acid? YUCK!

p.s. Why do they put "high fructose corn syrup" in soda? Submit your answer!

Why Water?

You've heard your parents, coaches and (PE) teachers tell you, "Drink water!" and there are many good reasons why, especially with hot weather forecast for later this week.

For starters, your body is about 70% water. It is the single most important thing in your body! Without it, life would not be possible. In fact, you can survive over a MONTH without food, but only DAYS without water!

In addition, your brain is especially sensitive to drying out, which is why dehydration makes it so hard to do well in school. Have you ever been real thirsty? It's hard to concentrate on much else (like math, language arts or history) when all you want is a drink of water.

Lastly, drinking lots of water actually keeps you COOLER during hot weather. Here's how: water forms sweat on the surface of your skin, which whisks heat away from you, and cools you off like an air conditioner.

So, whether you call it "agua," "jur" or "mizu", drink water regularly, especially on HOT days!

p.s. can anyone tell me the 3 languages I used for the word "water" above? Post your guess! And don't forget to leave your name AND teacher.

School Has Begun!

I want to welcome you to the new school year, and to P.E!
I look forward to all we have planned for this year.
Hopefully, this blog will enrich your P.E. experience and help you take better care of your body.
I will be adding new posts soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment.